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Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) pauses as the crowd cheers Saturday, June 27, 2015, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines. Scott Morgan/Special to the Register

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) hugs Sandy Watts of Adel while talking to her and Ralph Watts after speaking Saturday, June 27, 2015, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines. Scott Morgan/Special to the Register

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) talks with Michael Harvey and Pat Harvey, both of Kansas City, Mo., after speaking Saturday, June 27, 2015, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines. Scott Morgan/Special to the Register

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) signs an autograph on a campaign poster Saturday, June 27, 2015, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines. Scott Morgan/Special to the Register

John Woodward of Washington, Iowa listens as Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) speaks Saturday, June 27, 2015, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines. Scott Morgan/Special to the Register

Guests are handed American flags as they arrive to see Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) speak Saturday, June 27, 2015, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines. Scott Morgan/Special to the Register

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) talks to Kanu Priya Tapis and Gregory Tapis, both of Davenport, after speaking Saturday, June 27, 2015, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines. Scott Morgan/Special to the Register

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) talks to Lloyd Eaken of Anamosa after speaking Saturday, June 27, 2015, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines. Scott Morgan/Special to the Register

A supporter holds a sign for Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) Saturday, June 27, 2015, in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University in Des Moines. Scott Morgan/Special to the Register

The American people have the right to take power away from the Supreme Court after two landmark decisions this week, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said Saturday.

"If five unelected judges are going to seize for themselves the authority to rewrite federal law, to rewrite the Constitution and to decide whatever pressing public policy issues their fancy suggests, then the people have no choice but seek to re-impose the Constitution and rule of law," Cruz told the Register in an interview.

Both decisions — one upholding a key provision of the federal health care law and the other permitting same-sex marriages across the nation — show how far the Supreme Court has strayed, Cruz said.

"The court has been wandering astray for a long time, but the decisions this week are a new low for the Supreme Court," said Cruz, who previously worked as a clerk for former Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

The Republican presidential hopeful spoke after delivering a speech in Des Moines on Saturday. During the speech, Cruz said he would propose Supreme Court justices be subject to retention elections, under which they could be removed from their otherwise lifetime positions on the court.

So far in his Iowa stops, Cruz has consistently campaigned around repealing the federal health care law, abolishing the IRS, repealing Common Core and upholding religious liberty.

On Saturday, Cruz added an agenda item, saying he plans to make education reform a major part of the 2016 election.

"If you look at every other social problem we've got in this country —whether it is crime or poverty or health care — if you get an education, many of those problems take care of themselves," Cruz told the Register.

Cruz said he would support an "all of the above" approach that would expand "the options for school-age children to receive an excellent education."

"That includes charter schools, that includes home schools, that includes scholarships and vouchers and tax credits. It includes everything we can do to ensure that every child … has a fair and full opportunity to receive a quality education," Cruz said.

In Saturday's speech, Cruz railed against members of his own party as being part of "the Washington cartel" and reiterated his call for a grassroots effort to carry him to the White House.

The cartel, Cruz said, includes "union bosses, the giant corporations, the lobbyists, the media and sadly, career politicians from both parties."

"Headquartered on K Street, it's an alliance of big money with politicians who want to stay in power for life," Cruz said.

Cruz, who was the first to enter the race for the GOP presidential nomination, has formulated his campaign around starting a Reagan-like upheaval of Washington.

The cartel, he said, wants conservatives divided so the Republican Party will "nominate an establishment moderate who loses the general election to Hillary Clinton."

"They will do everything possible to fragment us and pit us against each other because if we come together, its game over," he said.

On the campaign trail, Cruz has generally criticized Republican leadership and fellow GOP 2016 contenders as talking the conservative talk, but not actually walking the walk.

For instance, Cruz said this weekend that some of his fellow Republicans came out publicly against both Supreme Court decisions but were secretly celebrating them.

"They will pretend to be incensed and then plan to be absolutely nothing," Cruz said Saturday.

That same dynamic, Cruz said, makes it almost impossible for his retention proposal to gain traction in Congress.

"A United States Senate that cannot muster 51 votes to block nominee Loretta Lynch for attorney general … can hardly be expected to muster the 67 votes needed to remove Anthony Kennedy from office," Cruz told the Des Moines crowd.

Cruz said that will only increase calls for a convention to amend the Constitution.

"If Congress will not act, if the cartel sits quietly beside and will do nothing, then the movement across this nation for an Article 5 convention of the states to propose directly amendments to reign in the out of control Washington cartel, that movement will only grow stronger and stronger and stronger," he said.

SETTING: Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University.

CROWD: Between 180 and 190 people came to the 775-seat auditorium, not counting volunteers, press and campaign staff.

REACTION: Multiple stops for applause; standing ovations for Cruz's entrance and closing line; both murmurs and shouts in agreement with Cruz's stances. A group of campaign volunteers also led chants for Cruz.